halve

American  

[hav, hahv] / hæv, hɑv /

verb (used with object)

halved, halving

1. to divide into two equal parts.

2. to share equally.

   to halve one's rations with a stranger.

3. to reduce to half.

4. Golf. to play (a hole, round, or match) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent.

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idioms

1. halve together, to join (two pieces of wood) by cutting from one, at the place of joining, a portion fitting to that left solid in the other.

halve British  

/ hɑːv /

verb

1. to divide into two approximately equal parts

2. to share equally

3. to reduce by half, as by cutting

4. golf to take the same number of strokes on (a hole or round) as one's opponent

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Other Word Forms

• unhalved adjective

Etymology

Origin of halve

1250–1300; Middle English halven, derivative of half

Explanation

To halve something is to divide it into two equal parts. When you share a pizza with your best friend, you can cut it in half, or halve it. A recipe might instruct you to halve an onion, and a little kid might request that you halve her peanut butter sandwich and cut the crusts off. You can also halve less physical things — you can halve your expenses if you reduce them by half, or halve the bill for lunch with your sister, if you split it with her. Halve comes from half, originally an Old English word meaning "side" or "part."

Example Sentences

The game, which had been physical all afternoon, turned chippy after that, giving the Kings a power play they took advantage to halve Colorado’s lead.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Ministers hope to halve knife crime over the next 10 years as part of a plan called Protecting Lives, Building Hope.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

They can ramp up the pressure even more on Arsenal with victory over Fulham on Wednesday to halve the deficit at the top before the Gunners face Brentford 24 hours later.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

In 2015, the then-Conservative government announced an ambition to halve the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths in England by 2030 – later brought forward to 2025.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

“I. Don’t. Know. Like 1 told Barrone. I wish I knew. She offered to get the DA to halve my sentence if I could ID the contract issuer. Why are you winking at me?”

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin